Anything For You
by OregonSweetie
Summary: Haley has an overbearing mother. When her mother puts her life in danger will Nathan come to the rescue?
1. Chapter 1

Hey All! I am back with my newest story. I was originally going to finish The Day We Find Love before I posted this but I got inspired. With this story I will have 3 going, so please be patient. I am going to update as much as I can before I leave for Wilmington.

Chapter 1

Haley James squinted against the light that was now pouring in through her window. She groaned as she fully opened her eyes and saw her mother, Lydia James, hovering over her. She could already tell this was going to be another long day in the life of Haley James. At the age of 18 she was already an accomplished cheerleader. She had led Tree Hill High to two straight state championships and good showings at nationals. This was her senior year and her mother was determined for her to win a national championship. Haley was looking forward to high school being over so that she could go to the college of her choosing and finally rid herself of all the pressure her mother put on her.

"Mom, what are you doing? What time is it?"

"It's 6:30 Haley, which means you are late getting up once again. You were supposed to be running right now. I guess you will just have to take extra clothes and run home from the Scott's house tonight."

Haley allowed herself to smile. They had been going to the Scott's house for dinner every Saturday night since she could remember. Dan and Karen Scott were high school sweethearts who had gotten married right after they graduated. They had the kind of love that Haley dreamed about. The Scott's had two boys, Lucas and Nathan. Lucas was 22 and engaged to Brooke Davis. Haley was good friends with Lucas but nothing compared to her friendship with Nathan. Nathan was 20 and a basketball player at Duke. She had always been able to count on Nathan to take her away from whatever pressure her mother was putting on her. He had dried her tears more times than she could count. There had never been anything romantic between the two of them. It didn't mean that there wasn't an attraction because there definitely was, it was just never the right time. Haley was sure that as long as her mother was in control there never would be a right time.

"Haley! Haley! Did you even hear what I was saying?"

"Huh?"

"You know Haley sometimes I wonder why I it is I even try. I said that you need to get your lazy ass out of bed young lady. You have to be at the gym in 45 minutes to work on your tumbling."

"But mom, it's Saturday. I have a group meeting later for a project that is worth 25 of my grade."

"I don't care Haley. You are starting to look fat and judges won't give points to fat cheerleaders."

"Mom, I hardly have time to eat. I don't think I look fat."

"That is because you see the best in yourself honey. You need to be at the gym for two hours. You can then have an hour for your project. Then you need to swim for an hour and a half. Then you can shower and go to dinner. Then you will run the five miles home from the Scott's."

Haley sighed, she really should have expected this. At least college was coming up soon.

"Oh and by the way, I got you an audition for the Oregon squad."

"What? Mom I told you I wasn't going there. I don't want to cheer in college."

"Haley if you don't cheer in college you aren't going to get to go anywhere because let's face it, you're not real smart. Now get up and go to the gym."

Haley was finally ready to go to dinner. She was already dead tired and she still had a five mile run ahead of her. She hoped her mom didn't find something else for her to do so that she could get some sleep. She was thankful that she had gotten done with her project. Maybe that would mean she could rest tomorrow. She highly doubted it though. Right now all she hoping was to enjoy the evening with her best friends.

The James' arrived at the Scott's right on time. Dan opened the door and welcomed them in. He immediately noticed that Haley looked thinner, paler and eve more tired than she had last week. He was really starting to worry. They walked into the living where Lucas, Brooke and Nathan were hanging out. It took just about everything they had to keep from gasping at Haley's appearance. It was obvious that she had lost even more weight. Nathan estimated that she was probably down around 100 pounds. He knew that at almost 5'4" that wasn't a healthy weight. He got up to give her a hug, vowing that he would figure out a way to get her out of that house.

"Hey Hales," he said wrapping his arms around her. When he pulled away he looked into her big brown eyes and could see the tears threatening to spill. Lucas looked over at Brooke and shook his head. He had no idea what to do to help her. Before anyone could say anything else, Lydia came in and announced that dinner was ready.

Haley sat next to Nathan with her father on the other side of her. She loved her father but she wished that he would stand up to her mom some times. Jimmy James was a very quiet man who loved his wife very much. He always believed that she had their daughter's best interests at heart.

Karen served the food and Haley could feel her mouth water. Karen always made the best food. Haley realized that she hadn't eaten all day. She loaded up her plate and began to eat. The meal was quiet for a while, until Lydia realized how much Haley was eating.

"Haley, you need to watch how much you eat. Not only for your weight but you also don't want to run on a full stomach."

Haley immediately dropped her fork and pushed her plate away.

"Run on a full stomach?" Dan questioned

"Yes, Haley overslept this morning and didn't get her daily run in and so she is going to run home tonight."

Nathan's fork clattered to his plate.

"Are you kidding?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"No Nathan, I'm not kidding. Haley knows that she has to run everyday and since she didn't get up this morning it means she needs to run now."

Haley sat there not saying anything. She wished she had a way out, right now she'd take just about any way out.

"Haley if you're done eating you should get your clothes out of the car and change so you can get started."

"Lydia maybe you should give her tonight off." Karen tried to reason with her friend.

"Now Haley." Lydia said ignoring Karen's plea.

Haley got up from the table, got her change of clothes and went up the stairs to change. Nathan followed, knowing she would use the bathroom next to his room and he could catch her on her way out. She came out and he immediately pulled her into his room.

"Hales, don't do this. Stay here, we'll figure everything out."

"I wish I could Nathan, I really do but you know she would just the police to get me. There isn't any way I could stay."

"Haley this isn't safe. I'm going to find a way. I promise."

"I'm sorry Nathan but I can't get my hopes up."

With that she walked out of the room. Nathan sighed, there had to be something. He walked down the stairs as she was thanking his parents for dinner. He glanced at his mom and dad. It ws then that the idea hit him. It was big, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He would need the help of his parents, his dad especially, but from the look on their faces they would be willing to help. Haley cast a sad glance over her shoulder at Nathan. I promise, he mouthed at her. She just shook her head and walked out the door.

"Wow," Lucas said after the James' had left.

"I knew Lydia was crazy, I just had no idea she was this crazy." Brooke said.

"There has to be something we can do to help her." Karen said looking around at the group.

"I know a way," Nathan whispered.

They all perked up at his words.

"What did you have in mind son?" Dan asked.

Nathan filled them in on his plan. He knew it was going to sound crazy but it was all he could think of and it might be their only chance to help Haley.

"Are you sure, Nathan?" his mother asked after he had finished.

"Mom, I promised I would help her and I refuse to break that promise."

"Well then son, we will do whatever you need us to do in order to help."

"Thank you guys."

Now all he had to do was convince Haley.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow thanks for the replies! Like I said I am inspired for this story right now, so I want to keep it going while I can. I am going to try to update as many times as possible before I leave for Wilmington. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 2

Nathan sat on the couch in the living room waiting for his phone to ring. She would always call when she was out running late because she knew he worried. He heard his phone start to ring. He smiled, it was the ring tone she had picked out for him, one specifically for her. Much to his dismay she had chosen How To Save A Life by The Fray. It wasn't that the music was bad, it just definitely wasn't his type of music.

"Hey Hales," he said answering on the second ring.

"Hey Nate, I just wanted to call and let you know that I made it home." she said tiredly

He checked his watch which read 11:30 PM. She had made good time home but she still shouldn't have had to do it.

"Hales, you should go and take a hot bath and soak. Then get into bed and sleep. I have a plan all worked out. We can have lunch tomorrow and discuss it then."

"A plan? Nathan you can't be serious. I can't just leave my parents."

"Haley, this isn't healthy or safe and you know it. Please Hales, hear me out on this. I'm afraid I'm going to lose you and I can't lose my best friend."

"Alright Nathan. I will hear you out but I make no guarantees."

Just then Nathan heard Lydia's voice in the background. He couldn't hear what she was saying but he heard Haley arguing and then her finally giving in.

"Nathan I have to go," she said with a sigh.

"Haley, what did she say?"

"I still owe her 200 sit-ups and 100 push-ups."

"Haley, no. You are going to die if you keep doing this."

"Nathan, I'm just fine," she lied. "I'll see you for lunch tomorrow."

He sighed as he hung up the phone and proceeded to throw it across the room. His dad walked into the room at precisely that moment.

"Woah, what did that phone ever do to you?" his dad asked.

"It had Haley on the other end." Dan just quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Lydia isn't letting her go to bed yet. Apparently Haley still owes her push-ups and sit-ups."

Dan sighed and took a seat next to Nathan.

"This has to stop Nathan and I hate to put this pressure on you but you are the one person who can change it. You are going to have to get her to agree to your plan, before we all lose her."

"I don't think she will. She doesn't even realize that she is sick. I'm so afraid of losing her."

"Make her understand, son. I know you can."

Lunch the next day came all too soon. Nathan didn't think he had ever been this nervous in his entire life. Haley showed up right on time. She looked even more tired than she had the night before. He pulled her into a hug and allowed her to rest her head on his chest.

"How much sleep did you get, Hales?"

"About four hours, you know my usual."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not since dinner last night."

"Well then, let's eat."

They ate the lunch that Karen had prepared for them. While they were eating Haley filled Nathan in on all of the details that Lydia had worked out for college.

"How are your grades holding up?"

"I still have a 4.0 and my SAT scores were decent."

"What did you get?"

"A 2300." Haley replied nonchalantly.

"Haley that's amazing!"

"Yeah..." she trailed off and her face started to pale.

"I think I'm going to be sick." she said as she dashed for the bathroom.

Nathan followed her. He saw her hunched over next to the toilet and went to kneel beside her. He knelt down next to her and pulled her hair back from her face. When she was done he found a toothbrush and some toothpaste for her and went to wait outside the bathroom When she came out he lead her back to the living room. He sat on the couch and pulled her down next to him. She snuggled into his arms for warmth and comfort.

"How long has that been going on?"

"A few days," she said too tired to lie.

"Haley that isn't healthy."

"I know. My stomach just can't handle the food."

"Probably because of all the exercise and the lack of sleep. Your body is probably all out of wack." he said pulling her even closer to him after feeling her shiver.

"Yeah, probably."

"You should go to the doctor, Hales."

"I don't have time Nathan."

"Haley, listen to what you are saying. You're going to die if you don't stop this."

"What choice do I have?"

"You have my plan."

"Ah yes, let's hear this plan of yours."

"I know your first reaction is going to be to say no and I know we have never been anything other than friends but here me out Hales. I am so scared that I am going to lose you. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. So my plan, Haley James, is for us to get married."

Haley began to laugh, this was the most insane thing she had ever heard. But when she looked into Nathan's intense blue eyes, she knew he was serious.

"You're not kidding are you?" she asked quietly.

"No I'm not. You said you couldn't stay here last night because your mom would send the police to get you but if we were married then she wouldn't be able to say anything. You're 18, so it's legal and my dad is mayor so he can keep it all quiet."

Haley sat there stunned. She finally had a way out but could she take it? If she did take it what would the risks be? She wanted her marriage to last forever. Could Nathan really handle that?

"Nathan we've never even dated. How can you think we can handle marriage?"

"Because, I know you Haley. We could learn to love each other in a romantic way. I know we could. I promise you that I would be everything you need in a husband. Please Hales."

"Nathan, I really appreciate this but..."

"No buts, Haley." Nathan said cutting her off.

"I'll think about it, ok?"

"Alright."

He brought his hand underneath her chin and forced her to meet his eyes, so that she could see just how serious he was. Before Haley could say anything more her phone beeped signaling that she had a text message. It was from her mother and it told her that she was to run home. Haley sighed and showed her phone to Nathan. She pushed herself up off the couch and felt a little dizzy. She shook it off and thought nothing of it.

"Hales, let me drive you home. You shouldn't run in this condition."

"No Nathan, she would know."

"Alright then, give me a second to change."

"Change?"

"I'm going to run with you. There's no way I'm letting you run on your own."

She simply nodded knowing there was no way she was going to talk him out of it.

They started out a few minutes later. Nathan let her set the pace. Haley began to feel dizzy again and this time she could shake it. She started seeing black spots in front of her eyes and suddenly Nathan's voice sounded very far away. Then everything was black and she felt herself hit the ground.

Nathan watched in horror as she crumpled to the ground. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

"Yes my friend just collapsed and I need an ambulance, NOW!"


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all I am so sorry it took me this long to update. The good news is that I have one chapter finished and I am almost through with another! I think you guys will really like these chapters, I had a lot of fun writing them.

Chapter 3

As Haley's eyes fluttered open, her head once again began to spin. She wince and then shut her eyes tightly trying to grasp at what was going on. Then it all came rushing back to her. Nathan's proposal, them running, her collapsing. She groaned as she forced herself to open her eyes once again. The harsh lights burned her eyes as she took in her surroundings. She allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she spotted Nathan. He was sitting in a chair on the left side of the bed she was laying in. He was slumped over, his head resting on his arms on the bed. She reached her hand over and ran it through his hair. He immediately began to stir. He lifted his head up and looked at her. His eyes were tinged with redness, she could tell he had been crying.

"Oh my gosh, Haley you're awake!" he said getting up out of his chair and enveloping her in a hug careful not to hit the IV that was in her right arms. She could once again feel his tears as he held onto her.

"How long was I out?" she asked when he finally pulled back. He glanced at his watch.

"About 8 hours." he said eyeing her curiously.

"I'm sorry about that Nathan. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Well I figured that but honestly Haley I thought I had lost you. This is why I wanted to protect you."

"Nathan I understand and I really appreciate it but don't you think it's a little hasty?"

Did he think it was hasty? Hell yes but she had ended up in the hospital and she still didn't seem to understand how serious the situation was.

"Haley," he said taking her hand and trying to keep his temper under control. "You're in the hospital for a reason, maybe you should take it as a sign."

"Nathan, I just need to be more careful..."

He let out a frustrated sigh, if only she had been awake to witness the fit her mother had thrown a few hours ago.

"Nate, please don't be mad. I just think that this isn't right. I mean I don't want you to give up your chance at finding love."

"I do love you Hales." he interrupted.

"I know that and I love you too. But you aren't in love with me and I don't think I could handle it if we got married and then somewhere down the line you hated me for it."

"That won't happen!" Nathan said as he began to pace.

"How can you be sure? Huh?" her voice raising to match his

"I just am. Life has no guarantees Haley. But you aren't even going to be alive if you don't get out of that house."

"Nathan, she's my mom. I love her and I can't bare to disappoint her."

"Is this what this is really about?" his temper now getting the best of him. "You would rather die than disappoint her? Yeah that sounds right." he said sarcastically.

He turned to walk out the door.

"Nathan!" Haley said confused. What was his deal?

"I just need to go for a walk Haley. But trust me this isn't over. I will wait until you can't handle it anymore, I just hope it's not too late."

Lucas watched as his brother stormed out of the hospital not saying a word to anyone. He must not have been able to convince her yet. Lucas looked at his wife. She understood and stood up. The two walked into Haley's room, perhaps she just need some more perspective on the situation. They saw that Haley had tears running down her face. Lucas sat in the chair that Nathan had vacated and Brooke stood, leaning against the closed door.

"Hey you." Lucas said softly

"He hates me." Haley replied quietly

"No he doesn't. He loves you. That's why he was upset, he hates to see you do this to yourself."

"He doesn't understand. I just can't leave her. It would kill her."

Lucas now understood why Nathan had stormed out. She refused to think of anything else but her mother. Maybe a little different tactic would be better.

"He loves you Haley. I mean he really loves you. He is so afraid of losing you that he can't even see straight. He is trying to save you, not from your mom, but from yourself. You have to make a choice Haley. You can continue to kill yourself or you can marry Nathan and chose to live. Think about it." Lucas said as he patted her hand. He then walked out of the room leaving the two girls together.

"What are you afraid of Haley?" Brooke asked.

"Everything. I mean marriage is so big and we are so young."

"Lucas and I were married at Nathan's age."

"Yes but you and Lucas had been together all throughout high school. Nathan and I haven't even dated."

"Why is that Haley? It's not like there isn't an attraction because everyone can see that there is something between the two of you."

"It's never been the right time and I didn't think he was interested in me that way."

"That's bullshit Haley! It's always been there in front of your face and now you're turning your back on the having a chance at true love." Brooke said before turning and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

Haley began to chew on her bottom lip as she thought about everything that Nathan, Lucas and Brooke had said. What if this was her chance? What if Nathan was the one she was meant to be with but she had just turned a blind eye until now? Before she had a chance to think much more she saw Nathan return through the door.

Nathan stood next to the door. He was just looking at Haley. He didn't know what to say to her. He had asked her to marry him and he had gotten shot down. Ok, maybe it wasn't that dramatic but still it was definitely a shot at his ego.

"Nathan." she whispered softly. She shifted over in her bed and patted the side that was now empty. He walked over and climbed into the bed next to her. He sighed. He wanted to fix her but first she had to fix herself. He would just have to be patient until she came to that conclusion as well.

"Maybe she'll change." Haley said almost as if she was reading his mind.

"Maybe." he said unconvinced

"Nathan," she said the tears starting to roll down her cheeks once again.

"I'm scared."

"Scared of what Hales?"

"Of what happens if she doesn't change."

"I'm not going anywhere, Hales."

Haley studied him. It was almost as if she was trying to peer into his soul. She opened her mouth to talk and from the look in her eyes he was almost certain she was going to change her mind and say yes. But then the door slammed open and everything was ruined.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you guy so much for the replies. I think I like this as two really long chapters too. I hope they are worth the wait. I had a lot of fun writing them and I hope that shows through too! Replies make my day and thank you all so much for reading my little story!

Chapter 4

Lydia stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"It's about time you woke up." she snapped with annoyance written all over her face. The doctor followed right behind Lydia into the room.

"How are you feeling Haley?" he asked with a slight smile while he continued to glance at the numbers written in her chart.

"Umm..I'm pretty tired and my head hurts." Haley said honestly. The doctor chuckled.

"Well that's understandable. The blood tests we ran show that your body is pretty messed up. We got some information from your boyfriend about your problems with food these past few days. Your electrolytes and hormones are out of balance. We would like to admit you and keep you here for obeservation."

Haley didn't bother to correct the doctor that Nathan wasn't her boyfriend. The shock of the entire event was finally wearing off and the truth was really sinking in. She was actually sick. Wow, this was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Do you understand Haley?" the doctor asked. She nodded her head. She felt Nathan squeeze her hand. She glanced up at him and saw the utter desperation in her eyes. She knew she had to get better.

"I'll stay."

"We're leaving." Haley and Lydia said at the same time.

"Haley get yourself up and get dressed. You have so much to make up for." Lydia said tapping her foot impatiently.

"But mom, the doctor said I need to stay." Haley said pleadingly.

"I don't care. You're just being lazy Haley, and you know it."

"Mrs. James, she is really sick." Nathan said.

"No one asked you Mr. Scott." Lydia said wheeling around to face Nathan. She was shooting dangers out of her eyes and her voice was laced with poison.

"Well, Miss James you are 18, so it's your choice." The doctor said speaking calmly.

That's true, Haley thought, it was her choice. Everything was her choice, then her mother's voice brought her back into reality.

"Haley if you stay, you are no longer my daughter." Lydia said walking out of the room knowing that Haley would follow shortly. Haley always wanted her mother's approval, even when she was little. Lydia knew this was Haley's weakness, making it Lydia's ultimate weapon.

Back in the room Haley dropped her head in her hands.

"It's your decision, Hales." Nathan said gently.

"I can't lose my parents Nathan, I just can't."

Nathan shook his head. This was unbelievable. He felt sorry for her as sobs began to wrack her body.

"You will have to sign against medical advice forms, miss." the doctor said quietly before leaving the room.

Haley got up and got dressed. She knew there was going to be hell to pay when she got home. Nathan was pacing the length of the room. He knew he couldn't change her mind, not now. Maybe not ever. They walked out of the room and Haley signed the papers she need. She gave Nathan a hug but for the first time ever, he didn't return it. He couldn't believe she was actually doing this.

Haley went out and started to get in the car.

"What do you think you're doing?" her mother asked.

"I'm going home," she replied.

"You haven't finished your run yet. You need to run home."

Haley sighed but turned around and started to run home. This wasn't going to be good, she could feel it in her bones but she had made her own bed and now she had to lie in it.

When Haley reached home about an hour later, Lydia was waiting for her.

"Where's dad?" Haley asked noticing for the first time that her father wasn't home.

"He's on a business trip in New York until Saturday morning," Lydia said with a gleam in her eyes. Haley gasped. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse she was prove wrong. She glanced up at the clock and saw that was 11 PM.

"Now get your suit on and get out to the pool, you owe me three miles."

As Haley was swimming she began thinking that maybe life wasn't supposed to be like this, maybe Nathan was her chance at a normal life, a real future. But at the same time she didn't know if her family would ever speak to her again and she wasn't sure if she could live with that. She finished up her swim and climbed out of the pool and surprise, surprise, her mother was waiting for her. Lydia proceeded to rattle off a list of demands that Haley had to do before she would be allowed to sleep.

At 4AM Haley had finally finished everything. She dragged herself up to her room. She had to be up for school by 7AM but hopefully a few hours of sleep would be all she needed to make it through the day. She fell onto her bed, ready to collapse when Lydia walked in.

"You have to be up at 5 to run." she announced before walking out. At that point Haley finally broke. She felt the tears running down her face before she even recognized that she was crying. She picked up her phone and pressed 2 on the speed dial.

"Hello?" Nathan's groggy voice answered.

Haley was now crying so hard that she could barely breathe let alone talk.

"Nathan," she finally chocked out, her voice telling him everything he needed to know.

"It's gonna be alright Hales, I promise. Hold on just a sec alright?"

Nathan got out of bed and padded down the hall to his parents room. He knocked on the door and then pushed it open slightly.

"Dad?" he said quietly.

"Yeah, Nathan." came a tired response.

"How soon?" Dan bolted upright in bed. Nathan shook his head yes when his father sent him a questioning glance.

"Friday." Dan stated as he got out of bed. There was a lot to do now.

"Hales, you still there?" Nathan asked returning his attention to the girl on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, Nate. I'm here."

"Can you hang on until Friday?"

"Yeah, I can. There is so much to talk about." she said starting to panic.

"We will figure it all out. I have an early class tomorrow but that's it. I'll meet you for lunch and we will talk. I'll call Brooke, you know how she lives for this kind of stuff. Now I want you to get some sleep."

"I can't. I have to run at 5."

"Alright, screw lunch. Run down to the corner of your block. I'll wait around the corner and pick you up. You can sleep here for at least a little while."

"Alright." Haley said finally taking a leap of faith.

At 5 AM Haley started her run. She took her bad and told her mom she had an early project to work on. Haley rounded the corner and just as promised, Nathan was waiting for her. When she climbed into his car, she lost it. He pulled her as close to him as he could.

"Shh..." he whispered slowly stroking her hair. "I've got you, it's going to be alright now."

He drove to his house but never once let her hand slip from him. When they got to the house he could see the look of relief that took over her face. He took her bag and they walked inside. When they got in she saw Brooke and Karen making lists, while Dan and Lucas were pouring over paperwork. Karen was the first to notice that Haley had arrived. She jumped up and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"I'm so sorry," Haley whispered.

"Don't Haley. Don't you dare apologize for being the best daughter a person could ask for. You have done absolutely nothing wrong. You hear me? Nothing. Now I want you go upstairs and get some sleep, the guest room is all made up."

Haley knew better than to argue with Karen. She simply nodded and started up the stairs, Nathan following right behind her, carrying her bag. When they got in the room, Nathan put down her bag and then stood next to the door awkwardly.

"Well, I guess I let you get some sleep." he said reaching for the doorknob.

"Nathan will you stay with me?" she asked shyly.

"Of course Hales." They both kicked off their shoes and climbed into bed. She immediately snuggled deep into his chest. Almost as if his arms could block out everything that was currently surrounding her. She was asleep within minutes. "I promise you Haley, I am going to always protect you, no matter what." He gave her a small kiss on her forehead and then allowed himself to sleep as well.

Nathan awoke to the beeping of the alarm clock a few hours later. Haley was still asleep in his arms. He hated that he had to wake her up but if she didn't go to school then Lydia would know something was going and that was not a risk he was willing to take.

"Hales," he said quietly. No response.

"Hales," he said a bit louder. Her only response was to bury her head into his chest in an attempt to block out the noise. He had to smile, he could definitely get used to this.

"C'mon Hales." he said pulling her away from his body. Her eyes flew open at the sudden loss of contact. She quickly glanced around the room to make sure her mother wasn't there like she had been in her dreams. She smiled when she saw Nathan still in bed next to her. Maybe this will all be ok, she thought.

"You ok?" he asked a concerned frown coming over his face.

"Yeah, I just feel bad that I got you into this mess because I was too stupid to tell her to stop." she said tears starting to form in her eyes.

"First of all, this isn't a mess and I was the one who came up with the ideas. Second, you are not stupid and I don't ever want to hear you call yourself that again. Finally, no one could have made her stop. So please let's just focus on the future and don't you dare keep beating yourself up over this."

"Alright. But I have a question for you Mr.-Let's-Focus-On-The-Future, where are we going to live?"

"Here, for now." he said with a laugh.

"Now, you get up and shower. I will meet you downstairs."

He sighed. He knew she was going to struggle with this for a while but he hoped when they fell in love, and he was sure they would, that things would get better for her.

He walked downstairs to see his mom and Brooke arguing about how many people should be invited.

"They should have friends there." Brooke said hotly.

"Brooke we have to keep this quiet. It should be family plus Jake and Peyton." Karen argued. Brooke throw up her hands in an overly dramatic fashion.

"What do you think Nathan?" Brooke asked, her hands finding their way to her hips.

"Uhh..maybe you should ask Haley." he said not wanting to be on the receiving end of that decision.

"Maybe she should ask Haley what?" Haley said coming down the stairs. All of them noticed she already looked better than she had when she arrived earlier.

"How many people do you want at the wedding?" Brooke asked bluntly. Haley sucked in a deep breath, this was all becoming too real. Nathan could see the shock on her face, geez sometimes he wanted to smack Brooke.

"Uhh..just you guys would be fine." she said quietly taking a seat at the table.

"Jake and Peyton?" Karen questioned gently. Her face brightened and she shook her head yes.

"Alright, you eat this and let us worry about everything else." Karen said putting a plate down in front of her.

Nathan sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder. Dan smiled, he could already tell it wouldn't take them long before they fell head over heels in love and he had and idea on how to help.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I have had computer problems. Many thanks to all who replied.This chapter is dedicated to Cathy! Thanks for all the help girl!

Chapter 5

The week flew by and before she knew it, it was Friday morning. She had endured the few days of torture with the thoughts of her upcoming wedding getting her through. Haley had done everything her mother asked knowing that she couldn't gain any weight while she was still living at home. Haley sighed, her mother had been practically giddy, thinking that Haley had finally submitted to her.

Haley had everything she needed for the wedding. She and Nathan had decided on everything being casual. She had determined, with Brooke's help of course, that she was going to wear a pale blue dress. Haley took one final look around her room before walking out, for the last time.

She arrived at the Scott's house at 5PM. Right after she had gotten done with cheerleading practice, she had debated skipping but knew her mother would find out and she couldn't risk that. Now that her day was finished she was officially nervous. As soon as she walked through the door Brooke whisked her upstairs. She opened the door to the guest room at the far end of the house. Haley squealed when she saw Peyton standing there.

"Hey kiddo," Peyton said embracing Haley. Haley let the tears she had been holding back fall. Peyton and Jake had gone to school with Nathan, Brooke, and Lucas at Tree Hill High. When the two girls met, they immediately bonded. Peyton and Jake had gotten married right after high school and went to college in Georgia.

"I'm glad you're here." Haley sniffed

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, now let's get you ready!"

An hour later Brooke and Peyton were arguing about eyeshadow color. After finally settling on a light pink, Haley was ready.

"Alright time for your dress." Brooke said clapping her hands. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a black dress bag.

"Uhh..Brooke what is that?" Brooke just simled and handed Haley a card. Her hands were shaking as she began to open it.

Hales,

I know this day isn't what you expected it would be but I wanted to make sure it was as special as possible. I hope you like the dress and I promise you won't regret this.

Love and see you soon,

Nathan

Haley got up and opened the bag. The dress was beautiful. It was a strapless white dress that hit about mid-calf. It was definitely still casual but it was also bridal. In her eyes it was perfect. She let her fingers run over the material of the dress.

"I'm getting married." She said softly with a smile.

Nathan was a ball of nerves, it had take him three tries to get his shirt buttoned up right. He wasn't even going to attempt his tie. He walked down the hall and knocked on his parents door. His dad opened the door and saw the tie in his son's hand.

"Come on in." Dan said

Nathan walked in as Dan began to work on his tie. Dan tied it around his own neck then loosened it and handed it to Nathan. Nathan put the tie around his neck but his hands were shaking too bad to get it right. Dan chuckled and walked over to help his son.

"Relax, Nate. It's going to be just fine."

"What if she changes her mind?"

"She won't." Nathan quirked an eyebrow at his father's tone

"I heard the girls giggling about the dress as I walked up here." Nathan's face immediately brightened. Dan finished up Nathan's tie.

"Alright, you're ready. Time to get married."

Dan got Nathan out to the backyard where the ceremony was being held, then walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. He heard Haley tell him to come in. She was standing in front of the mirror scrutinizing her appearance. She turned around when Dan came in and gave him a shy smile.

"You look beautiful Haley."

"Thank You." She replied quietly, smoothing down her dress one last time.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and took the arm he offered to her. Just as the got to the bottom of the stairs the music began to play.

As she appeared in the doorway Nathan sucked in a sharp breath. She was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Before he had a chance to think his dad was placing her hand in his.

The priest said a few words and then it was time for the vows.

"Now Haley, please repeat after me."

Nathan didn't even hear the priest's words, all he heard was her voice.

"I Haley, take you Nathan to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. I promise that I will love and cherish you forsaking all those who would come between us. I make this vow to you until death do us part."

Nathan reached up and wiped a tear off her cheek before stating his own vows.

"I Nathan, take you Haley to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward. For richer or poorer, in sickness and health, in good times and in bad. I promise that I will love and cherish you forsaking all those who would come between us. I make this vow to you until death do us part."

The priest nodded and then continued.

"Now it is time to exchange the rings. Wear these rings proudly as an outward symbol of your love and everlasting devotion."

Haley turned to Brooke and got Nathan's ring from her. "With this ring, I thee wed." She whispered as she slid the ring on his finger. Nathan took a deep breath and bulled her ring out of his pocked. He had changed his mind last minute and bought her a much bigger ring than the simple yellow gold band she had picked out. He opened the box and Haley gasped. The entire band was encrusted with diamonds.

"With this ring, I thee wed." he said as he slipped the band on her finger.

"With the power invested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Nathan smiled as Haley began to blush. He really didn't want their first kiss to be in front of people but tradition was tradition. He slowly brought her towards him. He brushed his finger across her cheek and then reached his hand behind her head. He brought his face towards hers and slowly their lips met for the first time. Haley couldn't believe that she was actually married and that Nathan was kissing her. As their lips met she felt an amazing spark flow through her entire body. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it felt like longer. When they broke apart they looked in each others eyes, each of them knowing that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

The two walked in the house to sign their marriage certificate. The priest came in to witness them signing as did Dan, Karen, Brooke, Lucas, Jake and Peyton. Nathan signed his name first and then handed the pen to Haley. She hadn't even thought of changing her last name until right then but when she signed, she wrote Haley Scott.

An hour later they were all changed and ready to go out to dinner. They were going to a little Italian place that was a favorite to all of those in the group. Once they were all in the car, Haley pulled her cell phone out of her purse and turned it on. Her eyes widened.

"How many messages?" Nathan asked noticing her look.

"20 texts plus Lord knows how many voicemails." She sighed, this was going to be a nightmare.

"You're ok now." Nathan whispered in her ear before kissing the top of her head and taking her hand. She let out a shaky breath and leaned her head on his shoulder allowing herself to be soothed by just being close to him. Her phone began to ring. She looked at the Caller ID and saw it was her mom once again. She turned the phone off and placed it back in her purse. Nathan gazed at her.

"I'm fine, Nathan."

"Well I know that, but how are you feeling?" Nathan noticed a blush creeping onto her cheeks at his comment.

"I'm fi...alright."

The two locked eyes and got lost in the moment. Dan hated to break it but they were at the restaurant. They noticed the car had stopped and proceeded to get out.

The dinner was going great and all of them were having an amazing time. Nathan and Haley had been getting closer all throughout dinner. Nathan now had his arm around Haley's waist and she was resting her head on his shoulder listening to Peyton tell a story about the roommates she and Jake had.

"I'm going to go powder my nose." Haley whispered. Nathan released her from his grasp and watched as she walked across the restaurant.

"You are so gone." Lucas said with a laugh.

"Huh?" Nathan asked shaking his head.

"You're in love with her."

"I love her, of course, but it's all different now."

"It's supposed to be different, you're married."

"You know what I mean Luke. I meant everything with her mom."

He had always known that they were destined to be together but right now to let the feelings of love that were lurking beneath the surface of their friendship out into the open was too dangerous. There was too much at stake.

Haley came out of the bathroom and was headed back to their table, when a guy stepped in front of her.

"Hey sweetheart, where are you going?"

"Back to my table." She replied dryly

"Why don't you come back to my table instead?" He put his hand on her arm and she immediately pushed it away. She started to walk past him but he grabbed her arm forcefully. She let out a startled scream. Nathan heard her scream across the room and was immediately on his feet.

"Look, you need to let me go before my husband comes and beats your ass."

"Ahh...sweetie you don't need to lie. I'm not ashamed of you wanting me."

"Is there a problem here?" Nathan said standing behind the guy.

"No problem, right honey?" The guy said leering at Haley. Haley watched as Nathan's jaw clenched.

"I told you." Haley singsonged as she stepped around the guy and stood at Nathan's side. Nathan wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Come on baby don't be like that." they guy said stepping closer to Haley.

Nathan stepped in front of the guy.

"Stay away from my wife or I will put you in the hospital." Nathan wrapped his arm back around Haley's waist and led her back to the table.

"Is everything alright?" Karen asked when the pair returned.

"Everything is good mom." Nathan said running his fingers up and down Haley's bare arm.

"Well in that case I think it's time for presents!" Dan said

"Dad, you didn't have to." Nathan started

"Nonsense, it's not everyday my son gets married. Now open this." Dan said handing Nathan a small white box. Nathan opened the box and saw two gold keys sitting inside. He looked at Haley who was wearing the same confused expression on her face.

"Dad what are these?"

"Those are the keys to your new house."

"Your father and I agreed that you two needed a place of your own. It's inbetween both schools and we got it furnished for you. It's totally paid for and we are going to pay for all your utilities, no exceptions. We don't want you to work anymore than you already do." Karen said.

"But mom neither of us have jobs." Nathan said

"Of course you do. You both have jobs as student-athletes. We are going to give you money to cover personal expenses as well."

"Karen this is too much. I can't take all this from you. I chose this, so I should be responsible for everything that comes along with it." Haley said softly.

"Well how about this, you can have your old job at the café back. You can work when you have the extra time and that should be enough to cover your personal expenses. The rest is not negotiable, you're family and we take care of family." Karen said with a small smile.

"Well, that's a little better I guess."

"Good it's settled then." Dan said "We can go look at it tomorrow. It's late now, let's go home."

When they got home, Peyton and Jake excused themselves, citing a long day as did Karen and Dan. Leaving Nathan and Haley completely alone. Nathan walked into the living room with Haley trailing behind. He sat down on the couch and reached his hands out pulling her down with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned her back into his chest. The two just sat there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence.

"How do you feel?" he asked resting his head on her shoulder.

"Scared." she said quietly

"You don't need to worry Hales. I'm going to take care of you, I promise."

"Not about us, about her."

"She can't hurt you now."

"But you know her, she isn't going to give up that easily."

"I won't let anything happen to you, you can count on me."

"I know I can" Haley said turning to look at his face. Her eyes scanned over his handsome face. It made her hurt flutter to see the intense gaze he was giving her. It was like she was the only person in the world. At that moment she had the strangest urge to kiss him but before she could follow through on her urge she felt a yawn rise in her throat. She stifled the yawn with her hand.

"You ready to go to bed?"

Those simple words caused fear to corse through her entire body. Nathan noticed the fear that poured out through her eyes as she nodded her head and took his hand. He led her to his room. When they got inside he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"You never have to worry with me." he said instinctively knowing her fears

"It's not fair to you."

"I'm not complaining and you won't hear that from me. Now let's go to bed."

Haley grabbed her clothes out of her bag that had been moved into Nathan's room and went into the bathroom to change. They both changed and slid into bed. Nathan immediately wrapped Haley in his arms. He was trying to be so strong for her but the truth was he was terrified of Lydia's reaction. He was honestly surprised that Lydia hadn't sent the cops out looking for Haley yet. Right on cue he heard the doorbell ring. He had obviously spoken too soon. He felt Haley tense in his arms. He kissed the top of her head before he pulled himself out of bed.

"You stay here." he said as he pulled his pants on. He walked down the stairs to see an extremely angry, not worried, Lydia. Both of his parents were already down there.

"What's going on?" Nathan said feigning innocence.

"Where is she Nathan? I know you know where she is and if don't tell me I'll call the police!"

"I'm not going to tell you where she is Lydia. I mean it's got to say something that your own daughter didn't come home."

Nathan and Lydia were so into their fight that none of them noticed Haley was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Tell me where she is Nathan. Do you have any idea how far this has set her back in her training?"

"In her training? Your daughter didn't come home and instead of being worried, you are concerned with her training. Unbelievable!"

"Tell me where she is, right now."

"Lydia I think it's time for you to go." Dan said breaking his silence.

"Not until I know where she is." Lydia retorted

"I'm right here." Haley said descending the stairs. When she reached the bottom Nathan pulled her to him wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to shield her from her mother.

"Say goodbye Haley." Lydia said pulling on Haley's left arm. It was then that she noticed a ring resting on the fourth finger of her daughter's left hand.

"What the hell is that?" Lydia asked pointing at the ring. Haley took the opportunity to pull her arm away and put herself back into Nathan's arms. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist making sure that her back was touching his chest. This had always been something that had comforted Haley, even when they were younger.

"What does it look like, mother?" Haley asked her eyes flashing with anger. Lydia looked at Nathan's hand and saw a gold band resting on his left hand as well.

"Don't answer my question with a question young lady. Now what is that?"

"It's exactly what it looks like, it's my wedding ring."

Lydia burst out laughing. "That a good one. You put a ring on your finger and you want me to believe you actually got married."

"We did." Haley said quietly

"Well that's a nice try Haley, but you are coming home now." Lydia said once again pulling at Haley's arm.

"Take your hands off my wife." Nathan said his eyes glittering dangerously. Lydia knew that she was playing with fire and decided to let it go for the night.

"Fine, Mr. Scott. You win this round. Wait until your father hears about this. We'll talk at dinner tomorrow." Lydia said with a wink as she walked out the door.

Nathan turned Haley around in his arms so that she was now facing him. She buried her head in his chest and he could feel her tears soaking his shirt. Karen and Dan just shook their heads before they look the door and headed back up to bed.

"Come on, baby, let's go back to bed." Nathan said taking Haley's hand. She noticed Nathan's use of a pet name for the first time and allowed herself to smile inwardly, at least she still had him. Her tears had momentarily ceased but when Nathan closed the door to his room the were back in full force. Nathan just held her.

"I'm so scared, Nate."

"I promised you I would protect you and I am not going to let you down."

Haley looked up at Nathan. She saw a mixture of many things on his face that night but the most evident was love.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, it's finally done! I am SO sorry for the long delay in this chapter but every time I got inspiration, life just seemed to get in the way. I wish I had a little flashier chapter to come back with although I hope you will be happy with it anyways. I changed the style a little bit and I would love to know what all of you think. There are so many people who have helped me with this chapter so it here it goes. Cathy, thank you so much for letting me bounce ideas off of you. Jess, thank you so much for your never ending support. I don't think this would have gotten done without you. Amanda, thank you so much for everything you have done! Cynthia, thanks for waiting for the chapter, TSG...I know. I hope this lives up to the expectations! To everyone else who helped even if I didn't mention you, I am extremely grateful. So, without further ado...here is the next chapter!

**Chapter 6 You Could Be Happy**

Taking a deep breath, Nathan quickly raised his hand and gave three sharp knocks on the door that loomed in front of him. He had promised Haley he would take care of her and this was just one of the things he needed to do. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the door swung open to reveal an extremely angry looking Jimmy James. The two men stared at each other in a silent challenge, neither backing down. This, for both, was so much more than an early morning staring match, it was a battle for a wife and a daughter who happened to be encompassed in the same young woman.

"I don't feel like talking to you Nathan," Jimmy said running a hand over his tired face. For a moment Nathan felt sorry for him but only for a moment because then he remembered that it was Jimmy's own silence that had caused whatever pain he was feeling. More than anything Nathan remembered how much pain his silence had caused Haley.

"I figured and I'm not here to talk." Nathan said to the man standing in front of him, refusing to be intimidated.

"Then what exactly are you here for?"

Nathan simply waved his hand behind him and it was then that Jimmy noticed Dan, Lucas and Jake waiting in a truck that was filled with boxes.

"I'll repeat my question, what exactly is that you think you are doing here, Mr. Scott?"

"We're here to get Haley's stuff." Nathan said as he pushed past Jimmy and into the house. The other three quickly filed out of the truck into the house behind Nathan. Jimmy stood in the open doorway stunned. After a few seconds he once again found his voice. By that time the three Scott's and Jake were already upstairs packing up Haley's room.

Nathan stopped as he reached the doorway of Haley's bedroom. He took a look around everything was the same as it had been for the past few years. To his left was her large bookcase that held every kind of book imaginable. To his right was her dresser that her grandmother had given her, it was one of her favorite possessions in the whole world. In front of him, next to her bed, was the bedside table that he had given her for her birthday six years ago. He had found it at a garage sale and painted it himself. The bright green color clashed horribly with the soft pink walls. He had told her that she could get another table, that it wouldn't hurt his feelings, but she would have none of it. His favorite part of the entire room were her walls which were filled with pictures of friends and family from over the years, each wall seemed to tell its own story. It was something totally unique and totally Haley. He couldn't wait until she did the same thing with the walls at home. He sighed as he started to take Haley's clothes out of the drawers of her prized dresser.

"Stop right there Mr. Scott," Jimmy said as he strode into the room. Nathan glanced over at Jimmy and continued packing up Haley's dresser.

"I said stop Mr. Scott." Nathan turned to face the older man. While he contemplated what he was going to say he unconsciously began to play with his wedding ring.

"I'm not going to stop until all of Haley's things are packed Mr. James."

"Oh is that so? You really think I am going to just stand here and let you rip my daughter away from me?" Nathan looked him in the eye and moved a little closer.

"I'm not ripping your daughter away from you, you did that yourself. I'm just saving her."

"Get out, get out of my house NOW!" Jimmy said as he clenched his fists and began to shake with rage. Nathan smirked at his father-in-law knowing he had him exactly where he wanted him.

"You heard him guys. Luke make sure you have her cheerleading uniform, whatever else is missing she can replace later."

The four men grabbed the boxes they packed and walked out of the James house.

"This is far from over Nathan. We will continue this little chat later."

"I look forward to it," Nathan said with a smirk.

The four men arrived back at the Scott house a few minutes later. The entire ride had been silent and tension filled. When the car stopped Dan shot his youngest son a sharp look.

"I know this is going to get ugly dad but what else was I supposed to do?"

"Nathan I just wanted to let you know that your mother and I support both you and Haley no matterwhat."

"The same goes for Brooke and I." Lucas said giving his younger brother a quick pat on the shoulder knowing that at this point he could use all the support he could get.

"I know Peyton and I aren't in town man but if you ever need anything don't hesitate to pick up the phone." Jake said to the man he considered his brother.

"Thanks guys, it really means a lot." Nathan said with a grin.

Nathan didn't know if he had ever been so relieved to be home in his entire life. Right now walking through that door was a safety net for him and it was one that he was more than willing to take. He opened the door to hear laughter bubbling from the four women that were currently in the other room. He allowed himself a brief smile when he thought about Haley laughing he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her actually happy and it felt good to know that he had helped her. Nathan could only hope now that one day he would be the cause of that happiness. By the time that Nathan snapped out of his thoughts he realized the other three were already in the other room with the girls. He walked in to see Haley doubled over in laughter. He stood behind Lucas and watched her a smirk playing on his face. "Do we know what they are laughing about?" he asked quietly to his older brother. Lucas just shook his head and returned his attention to the conversation.

"Brooke you looked ridiculous." Haley gasped out in between laughs.

"I did not! Haley Scott you take it back."

"Brooke you dove head first into a pool of shaving cream, you looked ridiculous and so I will not take it back dear sister."

"Peyton, I didn't look that bad, did I?" Brooke practically pleaded.

"It was pretty bad." Peyton confirmed which only further enraged Brooke.

"Do I even want to know what you guys are talking about?" Lucas asked from behind them finally making their presence known. The three girls shared an all knowing look.

"NO!" they shouted at the same time then proceeded to burst out into laughter once again as the guys shared puzzled looks.

Haley finally got herself under control and looked over at Nathan. His handsome features could put a smile on her face any day but what she instantly noticed when she looked at him this time was the tension that seemed to be radiating off of his body. She knew that whatever had happened this morning wasn't good and she could only hope that he could push whatever it was out of his mind in order to get through this night that lay ahead of them. It scared her, how much she already depended on him but she couldn't help it, he was Nathan. He was the only one that had ever been able to fix things for her but this time she didn't know if they were in over their heads.

Haley walked over and took his hand, snapping him out of his own thoughts. He looked down at her and give her a tight smile but she could see that he was still miles away lost in thought. Realizing the only way that he was going to feel any better was to talk about it, she gave a slight tug on his hand to get him to follow her. He may not have wanted to but he did it anyway. Haley knew that leaving him to his own thoughts would just lead to extremely emotional outbursts later and she figured they were going to have enough of that anyway. She lead them out to the patio and closed the door behind them so that they could talk. This time their talk felt different because it was no longer just a talk between best friends but a talk between husband and wife.

"Where are you, Nathan?" She asked gently. He sighed and sat down in one of the chairs pulling her down on his lap. He absently began to play with the ends of her hair, trying to think of the best way to articulate what had happened that morning. In some ways he didn't understand why it bothered him so much, he had Haley now and that was all that was important. But, in another way he felt sorry for her, these were her parents and she should have been able to count on them for support.

"Nathan?" she once again asked him. He raised his eyes up to meet hers.

"I'm right here," he said flashing her his sexy trademark smirk. He pushed the piece of hair he had been playing with behind her ear. She found herself involuntarily leaning into his touch. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to sink into that touch and forget the outside world but that wouldn't help anything.

"Nice try stud. What's really going on?"

"Nothing Hales. So you think I'm a stud huh? Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?"

"Charm won't get you out of talking about this one, Scott. Remember this doesn't work if you don't talk to me." That was always the number one rule of their friendship and she was determined that it would be the backbone of their marriage. This marriage was going to be real, she was sure of it, but they had to be honest.

"I know and I'm sorry." He sighed running a hand through his hair. He felt her arm come around his back and rub in a soothing manner. That little gesture was all he needed, it was everything. "It was ugly Hales. Your dad was home and he was so angry. Usually your dad and I get along just fine, better than fine even. But today it was just bad. He wouldn't even let us get all of your stuff Hales, and I'm sorry for that. He basically just kicked us out and told me that the fight I had started wasn't over."

Haley sighed, Nathan was right, this was bad. Actually this was beyond bad. She had expected this from her mother, even more so after the outburst of the night before, but coming from her dad...she had no words, she wasn't sure that she could wrap her mind around it. Jimmy James was a lot of things but volatile was not one of them, she could only hope that with time he could open up to their marriage. Her mother was a lost cause and she realized that but she had always been her father's little girl. She could only hope now that she could use that to her advantage.

"Thank you, Nathan. I can't pretend to know how hard it was for you to go into that house this morning and I don't think you have any idea how much it means to me that you did that. As for the clothes and things, it's just material stuff, it can all be replaced. What's important is that we have each other because when we have that we can make it through absolutely anything that comes our way."

Nathan shifted her over on his lap so that he could look into her eyes. He could tell just by the little extra glimmer that was in them that she truly believed that they could make it through anything and that gave him all the hope he needed. He looked into her brown eyes once again and gently put his hand behind her neck pulling her towards him. He closed his eyes as he let what seemed to be almost magnetic forces lead his lips to hers. Just before the destination was reached however they heard the opening of the patio door. Nathan shook his head slightly before turning to see who had caused the interruption. He saw his father standing the doorway with an almost sheepish look on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just thought the two of you might want to go see your new house today." Dan said with a smile as he walked back in the house.

Nathan looked back at Haley who shrugged her shoulders in return. They both knew it was only a matter of minutes before someone else, probably Brooke, would come out looking for them. So, any hope of rekindling the atmosphere that had been so rudely interrupted was slim. Nathan instead settled for kissing Haley on the forehead before she climbed up off his lap. Haley turned to walk into the house and stopped noticing that Nathan wasn't following behind her. She walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Nathan sighed pulling her as close to him as he could. They both knew when they walked back into that house life was going to get complicated but out here it was just the two of them, it was perfect. But you know what they say there is no such thing as perfection so neither were surprised when they heard Brooke's voice calling to them to get inside.

_**Close Your Eyes And Begin To Breathe**_

_**Something Is Coming Over Me**_

Nathan cast a sidelong glance at Haley. She had been unusually quiet since they had left the house. He hoped that it wasn't what had happened out on the patio that had her so quiet, but his instincts told him she was analyzing both of their actions over and over again. It was something that she had always done, it was just part of her charm. He shifted over and switched his hand on the steering wheel interlocking her hand with his. She turned her attention from the outside world to him, only acknowledging his actions with a mildly surprised look.

Haley took a deep breath, this was all so confusing for her. In the past 48 hours she had gotten married and now she was going with her husband, who happened to also be her best friend, to see their new house. Her system was on total overload. Then there were those feelings, the ones that she had so long denied. The butterflies in the pit of her stomach every time he looked at her with those amazing blue eyes.

"Nathan, can I ask you a question?" She asked nervously picking at her top with her free hand. "Hales, you know that you can always ask me anything." He gave a silent prayer that she wouldn't ask him something that he couldn't answer. Sure he put up a tough front for her, he had to but he was just as scared about all of this as she was.

"Umm...earlier, uh, on the patio, were you going to kiss me?" Nathan sucked in a deep breath that was definitely not the question he thought was headed his way. He thought it had been glaringly obvious that he was going to kiss her and he had thought that she had wanted him to. His mind started to kick into overdrive, was he imagining things, was this entire relationship going to be one sided? Could he handle that?

"Yeah, Haley, I was going to kiss you." he said turning his head quickly to meet her eyes. When their eyes connected he saw the faint blush that rose up on her cheeks. He silently cheered himself knowing that the feelings were anything but one sided.

"Oh." Haley said breaking the eye contact that they had been maintaining for the past few seconds. She turned her head back to the window but not dropping his hand. Nathan found himself absentmindedly running his finger over her wedding ring while he thought about her answer. Oh. That was all he got! He admitted he was going to kiss her for the first time because he wanted to, no because they wanted to, and all he got was oh? She was unbelievable sometimes and this was a serious blow to his ego. Ok, so maybe he was overreacting a little bit but still he thought he would get more than just one syllable out of her. A smirk formed on his lips as he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Hales?" he said so softly that she almost had to strain to hear him. His voice was husky though and it was more than enough to give her shivers up and down her spine.

"Yeah" She replied as calmly as she could. He still hadn't stopped rubbing his thumb up and down her hand and she was beginning to find it a little hard to concentrate.

"Were you going to kiss me back?" He asked with a full on devilish grin taking over his face.

That would teach her to wound his ego. Haley sucked in a deep breath, she couldn't believe that he had just asked her that, that he felt like he needed to ask her that. She had thought it was pretty damn obvious that she was ready to feel his lips on hers once again, in fact it was something that she had thought about almost nonstop since their kiss at their wedding. That's right, she had a crazy mother that there was no telling what she would do, but all she could think about was kissing Nathan.

"Yes, Nathan. I was going to kiss you back. Are you happy now? Do you have all the answers you need?" Her voice was more than a little agitated but she couldn't help it, he made her feel so many different things and it was the scariest thing she had ever known. She couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes, why did it seem that everything in her life was so difficult?

Nathan immediately recognized the shift in her demeanor. "Oh Hales, what's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you. You can hit me if it will make you feel better." Haley couldn't help but laugh at his sincerity. "Nathan you didn't do anything wrong, trust me you didn't. I'm just being me right now."

"Why are things so weird between us right now Hales? I mean apparently everyone else in the world saw us ending up together, except us." Nathan said with a laugh. Haley couldn't help but laugh too.

"I honestly don't know. I guess I just never thought you saw me like that, you know in a romantic sense and all."

"I've always seen you like that, I just never thought that you felt the same. You always had that your my best friend mantra."

"Nathan, every female with a pulse feels like that about you and you know it. I have always wanted to be more than friends but I didn't know if I could handle it if you didn't feel the same way and I was always too scared to find out. I just didn't want to get hurt Nathan."

"I'm not going to hurt you Hales, I promise you that."

"I know, Nate. I know."

"I feel like we are doing this all backwards," Nathan said once again lightening the mood. Haley's laugh brought a real smile to his face. "That's because we are.." Haley stopped, gasping at the house that she saw before her. It was huge, at least as big as the Scott house, if not bigger. She turned to Nathan her eyes wide. "Are you sure this is right?" Nathan looked down at the paper in his hand. "Yeah this is the address."

"Wow, Nathan promise me we can keep this after you get drafted."

"Hales, lets deal with basketball later, ok?"

They both jumped out of the car and headed over to the door of their brand new house. Each of them feeling like their heads were on a swivel trying to take in everything all at once. Haley reached in her purse to grab the key she had been given the day before but when she reached in, she didn't feel the single key, but an entire key ring. Pulling it out she was a gold H and a megaphone attached to her key. She turned to Nathan, who had a goofy grin on his face, silently asking for an explanation.

"Do you like it?" He asked almost shyly. Haley couldn't find the words. Only Nathan would do something like this, only he would know her well enough. So instead of trying to find the words that she had realized weren't going to come she jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. "I love it," she whispered as she gazed his eyes. She could see them starting to deepen in color and it made her shiver with excitement. She unconsciously licked her lips while her gaze moved from his eyes down to his lips. Nothing else in the world mattered at that moment except feeling his lips on hers.

Nathan lowered her down to the ground gently, afraid that rushing anything would break the moment. He gently cupped her face with his hands as he inched his lips closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her cheek and heard his breath hitch right before his lips landed on hers. The kiss started out as a sweet kiss, each of them trying to get a feel for how far the other was willing to take it. But in a matter of seconds the passion had escalated. Haley pulled herself closer to him wanting to feel his body flush against hers.

Suddenly, it felt like any space between them was too much. Nathan couldn't believe this was happening and he didn't know how much self restraint he was going to be able to maintain. This was everything he had wanted for so long. His tongue slid out of his mouth and slowly started to trace her lips. He felt her lips curve gently upward as she opened her mouth and allowed him access. She moaned into his mouth at the feeling of his tongue battling with hers. Nathan silently chided himself, he was going to take it slow but this feeling, this was amazing and he didn't think he could ever go another day, hell maybe not even another hour without feeling like this again. The need for air became too great and it forced the couple to break apart. When they did they stared at each other, each knowing that they could never go back and neither of them wanting to.

_**First Kiss And The First Time I Felt Connected To Anything**_

_**The Weight Of The Water**_

_**The Way You Taught Me To Look Past Everything I Had Ever Learned**_

Nathan leaned up against the door watching Haley busing around their new room. He smiled as he heard her start to hum to herself and she began unpacking the boxes that had since been brought by various family members. He had just come up from helping Lucas arrange the living room and boy had it ever been the right choice. He loved how carefree and happy Haley looked at this moment, like there was nothing else in the world on her mind but making their bedroom perfect. Their bedroom, the place they would share together, he loved the way that sounded. He could already imagine holding her in his arms at night and after their make out session on the front stoop he sure as hell could imagine a lot more than that. He decided against clearing his throat to announce his presence, no a surprise attack would be much more effective at a time like this.

He slowly crept over to where she was standing, her back still facing towards him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Haley let out a surprised shriek as she turned around ready to fight off her attacker. When she saw it was Nathan who had ahold of her she immediately relaxed into the embrace. She almost felt like she was melting when his arms encircled her waist, it was almost indescribable. "Did I scare you?" he asked in a teasing voice. "No..what makes you think you scared me?" "Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you jumped like three feet in the air and looked like you were about ready to hit me as hard you could." "Well you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that it's not very nice..." she trailed off realizing that he had just won the argument.

"Ok, I admit it, I was scared. You know how jumpy I am and I just couldn't help it reminded me too much of my dream." Haley stopped herself realizing she had said far too much already. She had yet to tell Nathan about the recurring dreams she'd been having about her mother. "I'm sorry I scared you, Hales, I really am but I just couldn't help it. Now what dream are you talking about?" "It's nothing Nathan, really it's just a stupid dream." She said taking a step back and distancing herself from his body. Nathan let her take the step back but kept his arms securely fastened around her waist. "If it made you upset then it wasn't nothing Hales." He leveled her with an intense gaze trying to figure out what she was thinking. "I have this dream that my mom comes and takes me away, she ummm kidnaps me, and I know that it's not going to happen but I just can't seem to shake it." she said letting a few tears fall down her face. She hated that her mother had this effect on her even when she fought so hard to get away.

Nathan pulled her back to his chest and began lightly rubbing his hands up and down her back in a soothing manner. He had never liked Lydia, even when he was little, there was just something off about that woman. But he had never said anything and now Haley had paid the price. "It going to be alright Hales," he mumbled into the top of her head resting his chin there. Haley pulled back just enough to look up at him. She pushed herself up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his for a short kiss. "Thank you." she whispered in a breathy tone. It was amazing how just even a kiss that short could make her feel.

Nathan moved his hands lower and her back and began tracing small circles just above the waistband of her jeans. Haley's entire body began to tingle from the small touches, she couldn't even begin to comprehend what would happen if there were no clothes providing a barrier between them. Nathan moved one of his hands around the back of her head and began to play with the ends of her hair, which she had put up into a ponytail. She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt his other hand move even tighter around her waist forcing them even closer together. Without much warning Nathan's lips crashed down upon hers, not even giving her a second to think about what was going on. Before this everything had been nice and slow and now things were passionate and moving faster than either of them had expected.

Haley kissed back with as much passion as she could. She grabbed onto his arms for leverage trying to make herself taller in order to have even better access to his mouth. He noticed this and slowly turned her around, maneuvering them so that her back now faced their bed. Slowly he lowered her down on the bed, careful not to put too much of his weight on top of her. They broke away from the kiss, both of them gasping for air. Nathan rolled slightly to the side and pushed away a stray piece of hair that had come loose. He stared into her dark brown eyes that were at that moment shimmering with excitement and a little hint of something else that he couldn't quite place. He lowered his mouth once again to her face and proceeded to kiss his way down her cheekbone. One side, then the other. Finally, she had had enough and grabbed both his face with both of her hands once again fitting their lips together.

Nathan gently scooted them both up the bed a little farther as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her more than willing mouth. It was amazing to both of them that they had ever gone without being with each other, without feeling like this. It was like waking up from a dream where everything was black and white and entering into a world filled with color. Everything was new and different and for just a moment, everything was perfect.

"Nathan," Haley said finally managing to pull her lips from his for a second. Nathan continued to kiss up and down each side of her neck while his hand played with the hem of her shirt. "Nathan, stop for a second, the door is open." "Hales, seriously, that's what your thinking about right now? The open door?" He said as his hand slipped underneath her shirt and began to trace the flat plains of her stomach. "What if someone walks in?" "They're all downstairs unpacking, besides we're married, we're supposed to do this." Haley mulled his words over for a second. What's the worst that could happen? It wasn't like she hadn't walked in on Brooke and Lucas doing a heck of a lot more than making out.

Haley started to run her hands over Nathan's back. She felt the hard muscles and couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like without his shirt on. _We're married, we're supposed to do this._ His words rolled around in the back of her head as she made the decision right then and there that she was going to stop being afraid. She was going to trust Nathan, she knew that the second she got uncomfortable he would stop. She moved her hands to the bottom of the shirt and began to tug it up. Nathan separated their lips for a moment to look in her eyes to make sure that this was what she actually wanted. She nodded her head and pushed the shirt up a little further. Nathan grabbed the edges and pulled in up over his, tossing it on the floor.

Haley stared in awe at his washboard abs. Sure she had seen him without his shirt on before but this was different. This time it wasn't just a fluttering in her stomach, this time it was full on butterflies. She ran her hands down his stomach causing him to groan. She moved her hands around his back and pulled him down to her. He immediately put his lips back on hers but instead of deepening the kiss his lips stayed almost stationary, teasing her. He could tell it was frustrating her as she tried to get him to respond. He smiled as she began running her tongue across his lips. How was he supposed to not respond to that? He slipped his tongue inside her mouth as the two started battling. Nathan could feel himself starting to respond to the uninhibited passion that Haley was displaying.

Haley felt Nathan's hands once again go the hem of her shirt. She felt ready for all that was happening because she trusted Nathan but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if things were perhaps moving too fast. Nathan inched Haley's shirt up a little just to judge her reaction. He didn't want to rush her, but damn, this was going to be harder to control himself than he originally thought. Haley brought her hands down and placed them on top of Nathan's. He thought that she was going to push his hands away but instead she pulled her shirt up. He raised himself up a little to allow her to pull the shirt over the top of her head and join his on the floor. Nathan lowered them back to the bed and just as he was thinking about the things he wanted to do her body, he heard the worst noise he had ever heard in his life.

"Ahem." Brooke said from her position in the open door. Haley and Nathan immediately broke apart to look at the person causing the interruption. Nathan couldn't remember a time when he was less happy to see Brooke than he was in that moment. He noticed Haley's obvious discomfort and reached down, picking her shirt up off the floor. Haley gave him a weak smile and slipped the shirt back on. "What exactly did you need, Brooke?" Nathan asked, not even bothering to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"I just want to let you two lovebirds know that the rest of us are leaving and your dad said you need to be at the house for dinner in about an hour." Haley tensed at the mention of dinner but relaxed when Nathan pulled her close to him. "So, that's why you had to interrupt? You couldn't have just left a note?" Brooke gave him a devilish smile. "Oh I could have but I thought that you two had been up here for an awful long time and I thought I would come see what you were up to." The double meaning of Brooke's words were not lost on either of them. "So, I will see you two in about an hour." Brooke turned and walked out the door but stopped at the last second. "Oh and Nathan, enjoy your cold shower!"

Haley buried her head in Nathan's still bare chest, this time not from embarrassment but from fear. There was no telling what dinner would bring. Here in their bedroom they could pretend that the rest of the world didn't exist but when they stepped outside, there was no comfort, except that comfort that they could find in each other.

_The Ultimate Measure Of A Man_

_Is Not Where He Stands _

_In Moments Of Comfort and Convenience_

_But Where He Stands_

_At Times Of Challenge and Controversy_


	7. Chapter 7

Wow...this chapter has been a long time coming. I am so sorry it took this long. I don't think it turned out as well as I wanted it to and that is probably part of the problem. A huge thank you goes to the girls who have kept me sane the past few weeks and who have read just about every draft of this story. Thank you to all of those who have replied. I am going to try very hard to get the next chapter to you soon. I want to post a warning that this chapter is a little dark at times but I promise I will make it up to you with a fun next chapter! Love you all!

Stephanie

Chapter 7Remember To Breathe

The tension at the Scott house had been palpable since Nathan and Haley had arrived. There was no turning back now, in just a few minutes Lydia and Jimmy James were going to walk through that door and when they did, all their lives would never be the same. It was if a plan had long ago been set in motion and now there was no way to stop whatever the universe had in store for them.

Nathan stood in the middle of his old living room. He drank in the familiar sight and let a calm wash over him for the first time in days. The baby grand piano that had belonged to his grandmother sat in the far corner and in front of him was the table that he had split his head open on when he was 12. He and Lucas had been running, despite all warnings that they shouldn't, and he had tripped, hit his head and required five stitches. But his favorite part of the whole room were the pictures that sat above the fireplace. There were pictures of all the family at some reunion they had had years ago. Some of him and Lucas. But his favorites had always been the pictures in the center. It was a picture of his parents on their wedding day. They both looked so happy and so in love, he had always yearned for that. On the right of that sat a picture of Lucas and Brooke on their wedding day just over two years ago. And now on the left sat a picture of him and Haley. They were both staring into each others eyes, like nothing in the world mattered. That picture and that feeling were Nathan's ultimate sense of calm even when he knew that they were headed right into the eye of a storm.

Haley stood in the kitchen with Brooke thinking about the hell that was she was sure was about to break. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It had been there for almost two days now and the only time it had subsided was when she was kissing Nathan. A slight blush began to creep over her cheeks as she remembered just how good it had felt. She had never remembered feeling so alive as she felt when Nathan's lips were on hers and when she was running her hands over his perfect washboard abs. But that was all in the past and now the present was staring straight back at her in an almost taunting manner. She knew what was headed towards them all yet they were all powerless to stop it. She felt her eyes well up for a second, knowing that all of this came back to her. As much as she loved Nathan and the entire Scott family it wasn't fair that they were having to go through all this just because of her.

"You alright girly?" Brooke asked casting a sidelong glance at Haley after noting how quiet her new sister-in-law had become in the past few minutes. She knew that Haley had a lot on her mind, it was to be expected, but she also knew that the worst thing Haley could do was shut everyone out.

"Yeah I'm good. It's just...well you know." Haley said attempting to give Brooke a smile but failing miserably.

"Why don't you go see if you can find that husband of yours, Hales. I bet he is going crazy because he hasn't seen you in like five minutes."

"Thanks Brooke." Haley said giving her a genuine smile this time. If there was anything or anyone rather that could make her feel better it would be Nathan.

Haley walked out of the kitchen and began to look for Nathan, who was no longer in the living room. Haley knew his second favorite room in the house had always been the den. She opened the door that closed off the den from the rest of the house and walked inside. Seeing that Nathan wasn't there she had every intention of walking right back and continuing her search but something sitting on the small table next to the large leather couch had caught her eye. Karen was famous for her love to scrapbook and this was one that Haley had never seen before. The bright blue color contrasted with the deep mahogany of the table. Before she knew what she was doing she sunk down on the couch and pulled the book into her lap. Flipping through she looked at the pictures that reminded her of a time when life was simple.

Nathan came down the stairs from his room. He finally felt like he had gathered himself enough to face what was going to happen later. He stopped by the kitchen to see if Haley was there but instead of finding his wife, he found Brooke. Before he could even ask where she was, Brooke pointed towards the door to the den. Nathan gave her a grateful smile and headed out to find Haley.

He pushed open the door to the den and shut it behind him quietly. He was sure that she had heard him come in but Haley was rooted in her spot on the couch, immersed in the scrapbook. Nathan walked over and sat down next to her. She immediately moved into his side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, peering down at the book on her lap. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just flipping through the pages.

Haley stopped on a particular page. It was a picture of Nathan and Haley at her 12th birthday party. Nathan had his arms wrapped securely around Haley's waist. Both were soaking wet and grinning into the camera.

"I remember that day," Nathan said with a smile. "You slipped and pulled me into the pool with you." Haley raised her eyebrows at him.

"Umm...think again. You were chasing me and when you caught me you threw us both into the pool." Haley said with a look that just dared him to challenge her.

"Dang, I was hoping you'd forgotten that."

"Nope, not a chance. How did we get from there to here Nate?"

"What do you mean, Hales?" Nathan said picking his words very carefully. He was forcing himself not to jump to conclusions but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that she meant that she wasn't happy with him or with the situation or maybe both.

"I mean how did everything go so wrong? We were so happy in this picture, so carefree and now..." she trailed off. Nathan inhaled a sharp breath, she had pretty much confirmed his worst fears, she thought their marriage was a mistake. He knew it was unexpected but he had thought that they were definitely on the same page, especially after what had happened in the bedroom.

"I didn't know that everything was so wrong." he said coldly, putting an emphasis on the word everything. "I thought we were on the same page about this but apparently I was mistaken."

Haley was taken aback, she had never heard Nathan speak to her is such harsh tones. She hadn't been talking about them but that was obviously how he had taken it.

"Nathan..." Haley started but she was immediately cut off.

"I mean really Haley, I thought we were together in this marriage, both of us committed to making it work. I sure as hell thought we were both on the same page in the bedroom." Nathan pushed himself up off the black leather couch and began to pace around the room. He could feel his control slipping and that was definitely not something that was familiar to him. Nathan had always prided himself on his ability to keep himself in check whether it was on the court or in relationships. But with Haley, everything was different. It was impossible for him to feel completely in control.

Haley rose from the couch and walked to where Nathan was now standing, his pacing finally ceasing. She placed her hands on his back which was now facing her. She felt him tense and it made her feel horrible, this was all a big misunderstanding.

"Nathan, I wasn't talking about us. We are on the same page. Please, Nathan you have to believe me, in fact if it was my choice we would still be at home, in our bedroom right now." She felt him relax and he turned to face her. He clasped his hands with hers.

"Then what were you talking about Hales?" Haley sighed and returned to the couch with Nathan following behind her. "Do you remember this day Nathan? I mean truly remember it? We were all happy. You, me, all our parents. And now here we are, dreading dinner with my parents, not knowing what is going to happen. How did we fall so far that I am now afraid of my own mother? The person that I used to want to be more than anything else in this world."

Nathan now felt lower than he could ever remember feeling in his life. He had jumped to conclusions and he had made his wife feel even more uncomfortable than she was already. He should have known that she was just scared, hell he was scared too. But he knew that if they bonded together they could overcome anything, and everything, that came their way.

Nathan pulled Haley to his chest and stroked her hair, just breathing in her entire existence. Part of the reason he was so scared was because he didn't know what he would do without Haley in his life and this dinner had the potential to change it all. Haley lay silently listening to the steady rhythm of his heart beating beneath her ear. She felt him lean down and press a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry Hales," he whispered. "It's going to be alright. I promise you."

Haley pulled away and looked in Nathan's eyes, her own bright with unshed tears. She knew that he would do everything he could and that was more than she could ever ask for. In turn she vowed to herself in that moment that she would protect him too because she knew he was going to need it whether he knew it or not. Haley leaned in and pressed a soft, tentative kiss onto his lips before pulling herself away from the comfort of his body once again.

"We should get out there," Haley said, her voice shaking a little. Nathan stood and extended his hand to her. As she pulled herself up from the couch she took notice of his wedding band glinting in the low light of the room. If this had been any situation, it would have been truly romantic. Haley took a deep breath to steady herself and glanced up into Nathan's eyes. As she lost herself in his eyes for a moment, that was when she knew that she was truly the luckiest person in the world.

_**Find My Nest of Salt**_

_**Everything Is My Fault**_

_**I'll Take All The Blame**_

Haley looked up at the clock for the about the twentieth time in the last two minutes. She knew that in a minute or so her parents were going to walk through that door and she had never been so scared in her life. She currently sat on the brown couch in the middle of the living room. Nathan was on her left, their hands clasped. The only sign of nervousness from Nathan was his almost constant clenching of his jaw. Karen and Dan had retreated into the kitchen under the guise of needing to check on dinner one last time. Brooke, who had given up trying to get them to talk about five minutes ago, was sharing a chair with Lucas.

Haley glanced at the clock one more time and jumped as the doorbell rang. She had never wanted to run away more than she did in that moment. Karen called out for the group to come to the table, as Dan headed to the door. Haley walked past Karen, who squeezed her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look, to take her seat next to Nathan at the table. She wrung her hands over and over, until Nathan finally put his left hand on top of hers in an attempt to soothe her. She gave him a sheepish smile and waited for Hurricane Lydia to hit.

Dan opened the door, not sure of the reaction he would encounter, especially after the altercation that Jimmy and Nathan had had earlier that day. He thought that he had seen everything but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when the door was fully open. Lydia James was smiling brightly at Dan, holding a gift in her hands. Jimmy on the other hand stood behind her, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking very uncomfortable. Dan moved away from the front of the door, allowing both the James' to walk in. If this had been any other night, it would have almost been as if nothing had ever happened. But this wasn't any other night and Dan knew that before the night was over all hell was going to break loose, he just hoped they all survived it.

Lydia's smile was still plastered to her face as she and Jimmy came into the dining room to take their regular seats at the table. Dan shot them all a bewildered look as he took his seat. Normally, the room would be filled with laughter and general chatter but tonight the room was silent. Each person waiting for another to make the first move. Each afraid of what the night would bring and what speech would do to disrupt the balance that settled over the table.

Nathan glanced over at Haley, whose face was visibly paler since her parents had entered the room. He was anxious for someone to start serving so that they could hurry through this and he could get Haley home, where she would be safe. That was Nathan's one saving grace in all this. No matter what happened tonight, he knew that he could take Haley home and Lydia wouldn't know where they were.

Karen decided to be the brave one to take the first step towards the end of the evening, realizing that neither Nathan or Haley were capable of it in this moment. She smiled at the two of them as she started to pass around the dishes of food for each of them to help themselves. When the food made its way around to Haley, she glanced at Lydia before putting food on her plate. Nathan saw the look and decided to intervene, knowing that Haley needed to eat in order to fix all the problems that Lydia had caused with all the insane workout routines and lack of food.

"Hales, remember the doctor said you need to eat in order to get better." he whispered in her ear. She glanced up at him and took in the concern in his blue eyes. She felt to nervous to eat anything right now but she would do it for Nathan. Haley didn't want to put any more stress on Nathan than was necessary, he had done so much for her already. She nodded her head at him in understanding and put a few more items on her plate. Nathan watched as Lydia raised her eyebrows and bit back a smile. It wasn't a friendly smile however, it was a smile of a person who had something up their sleeve.

_**Take A Look Around**_

_**Everything In Turn Will Come Down**_

_**Don't Depend On These Broken Promises**_

_**They Won't Hear A Sound**_

Much to everyone's surprise the rest of the dinner had gone smoothly. A lot of this had to do with the fact that there was very little talking involved but they all preferred it this way. Nathan breathed out a sigh of relief. They had made it through dinner and now they were home free or at least that's what he thought until Lydia decided they should all go into the living room for drinks. No one wanted to upset the balance, each of them silently hoping that there might be the possibility that she would accept Nathan and Haley's marriage and things would return to normal. So, they all followed Lydia into the living room where she was already pouring the glasses of champagne.

They all stood on the outskirts of the room, each one of them thrown off by Lydia's sudden change of heart. Lydia busied herself getting all the glasses arranged. When she noticed that none of them were entering the room she smiled.

"Come on in guys. How are we going to celebrate if no one actually comes into the room?" she said with a wave of her hand. They all started to trickle into the room. As they did, Lydia handed them each a glass of champagne, everyone except for Haley that is. Lydia gave her daughter a wink as she went to sit down on the couch across from the one Nathan and Haley were situated on. Nathan held the glass in his hand, not drinking. He had a bad feeling about whatever Lydia was going to pull and unfortunately there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Bop, I hope you aren't too upset that you didn't get any champagne. It's just that you aren't 21 yet and besides it's not like you could have alcohol anyways, not in your condition." Lydia said with a smile as she made herself more comfortable on the couch.

Haley glanced up at Nathan, who had set his glass down on the table. His jaw was set in a firm line and his eyes were already blazing. Haley laid her hand on his arm, which caused him to look down at her and when he did, they shared a puzzled look.

"Condition, mom? I'm sorry, I know you think I'm stupid and all but I'm not following here." Haley said trying to be as diplomatic as possible. Lydia didn't say anything, instead she reached for the package that she had brought with her. She held the package out for Haley to take from her. Haley took the package hesitantly and set it in her lap. She played with the ribbon on the outside, not looking up and definitely not opening it.

"Well Haley, aren't you going to see what your present is? I know when you were younger you never could wait to find out what any present was. I didn't realize that you had found your patience in the past few years." Haley looked up at her mother unsure of what to say and still made no move to open the present. "Come on, Haley. Open the present. I can't wait to see what your reaction is." Lydia said, her voice showing evidence of irritation.

Haley's hands were shaking so bad that she could barely pull back the wrapping paper. When she finally managed to, she gasped at what she saw. Nathan, who had been intently watching as she unwrapped the gift, threw his hands up in the air in disbelief.

"Mom, what is this?" Haley asked as she held up the book which was designed to help parents choose the right name for their child. Brooke began to giggle the second she saw the book but quickly quieted herself when she saw the look that Lydia was giving Haley.

"It's alright Haley. I know you got married because you're pregnant. Honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long to figure it out. I mean you were gaining weight like crazy, no matter how much you exercised, that should have been my first clue. I know that you must have felt like you couldn't turn to me or your father but I wish you had Haley. We could have helped you so that your entire future wouldn't be ruined. You know, it's actually still not too late if you want help Haley, we will be more than willing to help you."

Haley was stunned, she couldn't believe that her mother had just accused her of being pregnant. She also couldn't believe that she had insinuated that Haley should abort her child, if she was pregnant. Haley glanced over at Nathan whose knuckles were white from being clenched together so hard.

"Well, mom. I'm not pregnant. We got married because I was going to die from how hard you were pushing me if we didn't. And even more than that, we got married because we wanted to get married."

Lydia wasn't fazed by Haley's protests, she had expected it and this would just make her daughter's downfall be that much sweeter in her mind. In fact, she had kind of been hoping that Haley would protest, it would give her a chance to use some of her best material.

"Haley, it's alright. I know that you were scared and that's fine. Honestly, though I wish you would have come to me for help. I mean if you really wanted to be a whore, I would have helped you pack your bags and driven you to Vegas. At least if we had done it that way, you could have made some money for yourself while you were at it."

Haley felt tears spring to her eyes, she couldn't believe her mother could say something so hurtful. She knew her mother had problems with the fact that she had married Nathan and the fact that she wanted to be her own person but she never dreamed that her mother would go that far. It was at that moment that she realized that Nathan was no longer beside her. When she looked up she could see her husband towering above the rest of the group.

Nathan didn't know when he had ever felt so angry. It was one thing for Lydia to call Haley fat and degrade her, that he knew how to fix. But this, was more than anything he could have ever expected from Lydia. He almost expected her to pull something but to hurt Haley like she had was something he would never stand for. Surprisingly enough though it wasn't Lydia he was mad at most, it was Jimmy. Jimmy had just sat there while Lydia ripped Haley to shreds, not even once trying to stop her.

Nathan walked over to where Jimmy was still sitting. He glanced back to look at Haley, knowing that he would give up this fight in a second if she needed him. He could see his mother now sitting next to her with her arms wrapped around Haley. His mother nodded for him to go on, knowing that he needed to confront Lydia and Jimmy. Even his father stood back, letting him be the man he assured them he was when he first told them his plan about marrying Haley. Nathan wanted nothing more than to hit Jimmy in that moment, but he knew for his sake and for Haley's he had to control his temper the best he could.

Jimmy stood up when Nathan finally got over to him. He knew that Nathan was more mad at him than Lydia but he also knew that he had to a duty to protect his wife as well. The two men stood eye to eye, neither blinking and neither daring to make the first move. Nathan heard Haley's cries subsiding, they had been the only noise other than the ticking of the clock in the room since Lydia had made her proclamation.

"You know, Jimmy. I really don't understand you. You threaten me this morning and talk a big game about wanting your daughter back yet tonight you effectively ruined any relationship you could have hoped to have with her. You just let her get blasted by her mother and you said nothing. Is that because you don't have the spine to say something? Or maybe is it because you agree with your dear wife?"

Jimmy looked down at the ground but still he said nothing. He knew that Nathan was right about ruining his relationship with Haley. He sighed and brought his head back up, forcing himself to look Nathan in the eyes. When he did, he saw just how much Nathan truly loved Haley. The hurt that Haley was feeling was reflected in Nathan's eyes. Everything that Jimmy had been about to say dissipated, so instead he said the only words that came to his mind.

"I'm sorry."

Nathan began to laugh, this guy was truly unbelievable. He does nothing and now all he can utter are two words. Two, tiny, insignificant words. As all his thoughts caught up with him, Nathan felt himself lunging forward, almost as if it was out of his control. Just before his first fist connected with Jimmy's face he felt arms around him pulling him backwards. He fought and struggled against them, eager to make Jimmy feel the all the hurt that he and Lydia had inflicted upon Haley.

"Stop Nathan." he heard his father say from behind him.

Nathan once again glanced over at Haley, who still had tears coursing freely down his cheeks. He knew his father was right, Haley needed him more than Jimmy needed his face rearranged. He nodded at his father, who released him from his grasp. He walked over to Haley and picked her up out of his mothers arms. He pulled her to his chest, feeling her hot tears soak through his shirt. He quietly whispered to her, willing her tears to stop.

Jimmy watched the display before him and realized that Lydia had to stop. He had to step up and be a father for Haley. He would have to make Lydia understand that the best way to get Haley to come back to them was to leave them alone. He knew now that this thing between Nathan and Haley was much more than they had let on and Nathan was right, Haley deserved to be happy.

"I think it's time that the both of you leave." Dan said from beside him. Jimmy looked at his friend, who looked just as angry as his son had. Jimmy nodded his head and held out his hand for Lydia to join him. Lydia smirked as she walked out of the room. Everything was going just as she had hoped. She was confident that Haley would be home in no time and even if she wasn't, that certainly didn't mean that she didn't have another plan.

"Lydia, I think we need to back off of Haley. I think Nathan really loves her and I'm afraid that if we keep pushing like this we are going to lose her for good. At this point we might still have a chance at being a part of her life. Just give them some space, leave them alone for a little while." Jimmy implored to his wife once they were safely inside their car.

"I can't do that." Lydia said in a cold, raspy voice that sent chills up Jimmy's spine. He didn't fail to notice that the entire time he was talking she hadn't once taken her eyes off the house and more importantly she hadn't stopped thinking about two of the people inside.

_**The Dark Is Generous**_

_**And It Is Patient**_

_**And It Always Wins**_

_**But In The Heart Of Its Strength Lies Weakness**_

_**One Lone Candle Is Enough To Hold It Back**_

_**Love Is More Than A Candle**_

_**Love Can Ignite The Stars**_


	8. AN Teaser

-1Hi Everyone! I know that it has been forever since I posted for this story but things have been crazy in my life. Since starting law school, all I do is study. But, I am coming up to a break soon and I thought that if there was enough interest in the story I would continue it. I have the entire thing planned out and we are coming to a turning point very soon. So, just let me know if you guys are still interested. Here is a little teaser from the next chapter!

The house was already overflowing with drunk college students by the time that Nathan and Haley arrived. It seemed that the entire campus had turned out for the party, especially when they caught wind that Nathan was going to be there and that he was bringing his new wife.

Haley's eyes widened as they walked through the door and were immediately surrounded by people. Girls were flocking to Nathan like he was singing a song that only they could hear. By the time Nathan was brushing off the third girl, Haley had had enough. She snaked her arms around her husband's neck and pressed her lips into the side of his neck. Nathan felt a smirk forming on his face as he realized what Haley was doing but if his wife wanted to give these bimbos a show, he would gladly help her out. He turned his body so that his face was now facing hers. Their eyes connected and everything else seemed to disappear, the party, the music, the lights, all faded to black.

His lips hovered above hers for a split second before crashing down upon hers in an earth shattering kiss. Haley threaded her fingers through his hair bringing him even closer to her, as Nathan grabbed for her waist making sure that there was not one stitch of air between them.

"Well, well, well, King Scott is back and look he brought his queen." A voice cut through the crowd forcing the young couple apart.

"Kevin…." Nathan said through gritted teeth. Kevin Garrett was a good friend and a great ball player but right now all Nathan wanted to do was kill him for interrupting his time with Haley.

"Hi, I'm Kevin and when you get bored of Nate, you can give me a call, ok gorgeous?" he asked while extending a hand to Haley. Haley felt Nathan's arms tense around her. Before Haley even had a chance to calm Nathan down, Nathan had slammed Kevin up against a wall.

"I know you think this is all fun and games Garrett, but she is my wife. You got that? You so much look at her for too long and I will make sure you feel the effects of it for years to come. That goes for the rest of you, too. You got it?"

There was a murmur of acknowledgment from the crowd. Nathan straightened his shirt up and put his arm around Haley once again.

"Ok then, now that we have that cleared up, where's the beer?"


End file.
